Dear Ukrainian Guests
We are delighted to welcome you to our region and want you to be safe and happy while you are with us. In our Newsletter we will give you information that we hope will help you to do that – we’ll tell you about opportunities and events in our communities and across Scotland that you are welcome to join: health, employment, money and transport. We will also let you know where you can get more information and support.
If you have any questions or want more information at any time, please look at our website www.dumgal.gov.uk/supportukraine where there is a translation facility called ‘recite me’. You can email us on resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk at any time.
Health
Firstly, we would like to wish you a warm welcome to Dumfries and Galloway from the National Health Service (NHS).
The NHS provides health services to people living in the UK, and most of these services are free. Ukrainian guests will be granted free access to NHS healthcare on a similar basis as other UK residents – including for instance, the offer of vaccination and medical screenings.
It is important to look after the health of you and your family, and the best way to do this is by registering with a doctor. In the UK, family doctors are called General Practitioners (GPs). A GP is the first doctor you will see when accessing healthcare. To receive medical treatment, you and your children should register with a GP as soon as possible, even if you are not ill. You need to find a GP near to where you are living, and you can be advised as to which GP is closest. To register, you will be asked to fill out a registration form and bring identification and proof of your address if you can.
When you first arrive in Dumfries and Galloway and register with a GP, we will send you a letter that asks you to complete the vaccination history for you and your family. When this information is returned to the NHS, we can then check to see if you or a member of your family require any vaccinations, so that you remain healthy. You will also be offered further health screening by the GP or a member of their team. If required, further health tests/screening and referrals to other services will be arranged.
It is extremely important that you receive all current vaccinations and screenings, to ensure you and your family remain healthy and well. Further information can be found here
Money and other support
There are a number of different sources of financial and practical assistance to you, to help people who are not yet in work, or to add to your wages to help meet your costs. Your appointment with the Department of Work and Pensions will be the starting point.
Here are two additional sources of cash funding to help you for a temporary period:
While you are receiving Benefits, you can access free or reduced prices for entertainment – like films and leisure and sport facilities. There are also some free services – information is here:
Travel
We know that Dumfries and Galloway is a large rural region and that transport is important. There is free transport for older and younger people and also you can get reduced rail travel (there are railway stations in Stranraer, Dumfries, Lockerbie, Annan, Sanquhar and Kirkconnel). Details are below:
In addition we are giving all our Guests the cash equivalent of a four week bus ticket – please send your name and address and phone number to us on Resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk and we will arrange for the money to be paid to you through PayPoint.
Support for Ukrainian Guests in Dumfries and Galloway
You may already know that we have organisations working together to support you during your stay in our region – this is MOOL, DGMA, The Crichton Trust and the Inter Faith Group. They want to establish a mailing list to let you know what they are doing that you might be interested in. However, just as importantly, they want to know what kinds of support, events, or items would be most useful to you. Networking groups in different towns and villages is one proposal – meeting up with other Guests to talk about what’s working well, the challenges and what would help you in the future. Please contact them on ukrainesupport@mool.scot.
We will continue to use this Newsletter to share their events and activities so this is an additional, direct route to engage with the charity organisations working with people in our Resettlement Schemes.
Here is more information about each of these organisations:
Massive Outpouring Of Love
D&G Refugee Action (MOOL) – a local charity which supports displaced people and in Dumfries and Galloway, especially people in our Resettlement Schemes from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Dumfries and Galloway Multi-Cultural Association (DGMA)
A local charity which supports people from ethnic, religious and cultural minorities.
Dumfries and Galloway Inter Faith Group (DGIFG)
A local network which brings people together from different faith traditions and none, affiliated to Interfaith Scotland, a Scottish charity specialising in promoting engagement between different faith and belief communities across Scotland.
The Crichton Trust
Responsible for developing The Crichton as a place of educational, commercial, recreational, cultural and artistic excellence. Located in Dumfries and situated within 85 acres of parkland, the grounds are free and open to the public all year round.
The Crichton has had funding from the Resettlement Project to open a Ukrainian Café, attached to the Easterbrook Hall (formerly Neuros). It has some Ukrainian dishes on the menu, and we would encourage you to visit to build it as a place to network with others in a similar situation.
Ukrainian groups and facilities in Scotland
You may already know that there is a Ukrainian Consulate, a Ukrainian Church and a Ukrainian Centre in Edinburgh – information can be found here:
If anyone would be interested in going a free and escorted visit to the Ukraine Consulate, Church and Association in Edinburgh and/or the Ukrainian Chapel in our region (near Lockerbie), please let us know by contacting us on resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk and we can help organise it.
And you might like to join some social media accounts that provide information and support to Ukrainians in Scotland
Forthcoming Events
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DGMA Hallowe’en Party – a free event with various activities on 30 October 2022 at 3pm in the DGMA building in Dumfries. Costumes are encouraged – this is an opportunity to introduce our Ukrainian Guests to a British custom!
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Scottish Interfaith Week has the theme of ‘Storytelling’. There’s a free event in the DGMA building in Dumfries on Sunday 13 November 2022 at 2–4pm where people will share the story behind their faith festival – including Ukrainian Christmas. There will be art activities, music and festival food and refreshments – let us know if you’d like to come along communityplanning@dumgal.gov.uk
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DGMA Winter Fest Market – Sunday 27 November 2022 (timing to be confirmed) – tables can be booked for only £10 to sell crafts and/or just go along for various activities and entertainment
We want to hear from you!
Reflections on being a Guest in Dumfries and Galloway – we would really like to hear from you about what you are enjoying and like most about our region. What is going well for you, and also what the challenges are and how can we help you. All views will remain anonymous and you can write to us in any language – we can get it translated. We will share your stories in a future Newsletter. Please send your views to Resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk
If there is any information you think may be useful, but is missing from our Support for Ukraine pages, please let us know at: Resettlementproject@dumgal.gov.uk
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